As lawmakers return to the health care debate this week, an Associated Press-GfK poll finds that raw feelings over President Obama's overhaul have subsided.
Ahead of a vote on repeal in the GOP-led House this week, strong opposition stands at 30 percent, near the lowest level in AP-GfK surveys dating to September 2009. The nation is divided over the law, but strength and intensity of the opposition appear diminished.
The poll finds 41 percent of those surveyed said they oppose the law, while 40 percent support it. Just after the November congressional elections, opposition stood at 47 percent, support at 38 percent. As for repeal, only about one in four say they want to do away with the law. Among Republicans, support for repeal has dropped from 61 percent after the elections to 49 percent.
Also, 43 percent say they want the law changed so it does more to re-engineer the health care system. Less than 20 percent say it should be left as it is.
Opposition remains strongest among Republicans. Seventy-one percent are against it, compared with 35 percent of independents and 19 percent of Democrats.
Nearly six in 10 oppose the requirement that people carry health insurance except in cases of financial hardship.
The AP-GfK Poll was conducted Jan. 5-10 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved land line and cell phone interviews with 1,001 adults nationwide and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
